India bans the imports of reptile skins, mink and fox furs

After receiving videos showing evidence of abuse of animals in breeding farms in Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Texas, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has announced a ban on the imports of reptile skins and also on mink, fox and chinchilla furs on January 3rd 2017.

In December, international animal rights organization PETA published shocking videos showing animals held in undersized cages and being skinned alive at the breeding farms in the most cruel and cold hearted manner. Reptiles like crocodiles are crowded in barren concrete pits for months or years before being skinned alive or slaughtered for their skins which is used for making luxury bags among other things. Similarly, thousands of minks and foxes are kept in filthy and wire floored cages until they are gassed and finally slaughtered for their fur.

These skins, PETA claims were being sold to Louis Vuitton and similar shots taken in Zimbabwe and Texas exposed the practices of the companies that were suppliers of the Hermes group.

The spokesperson of PETA, congratulated the Indian Government for not supporting this inhuman practice and thus hopes it sets an examples for other countries to follow. They believe this move will also encourage international labels to use “vegan and innovative fabrics” more extensively and stop the senseless slaughter of innocent animals in the name of frivolous fashion.